A landlord’s guide to property photography

OpenRent makes it easy to advertise your property to thousands of potential tenants – but if you haven’t spent much time thinking about photos, you might not be making the most out of your audience. A survey of some of the 25,000 properties rented via our platform in the last year shows that a listing with good photos can generate a staggering 10x as many enquiries as one with poorly taken shots – so here’s a quick 1-2-3 to taking great photos. Not only that, but landlords can achieve 10% higher rent with professional quality photos!

Consider a professional

OpenRent can send round a professional photographer to conduct a professional photo shoot, post-process all the photos and make sure you’re property is shown off in the best light. You get to keep these photos to use for all future advertising, and given the huge impact it can have, you’ll earn the £79 it costs in no time at all.

An essential yet often overlooked step – tidy up! Showing clear surfaces and floors creates a positive, professional first impression and makes your property look bigger. Some tenants are able to “see through the clutter”; others are quickly browsing multiple properties and will be turned off by the mess, so don’t lose out.

2) Choose your camera

Although it’s tempting to use the one on your phone, if you can borrow or buy one it’s worth the effort to get hold of a decent camera. The ideal setup is a digital SLR with a wide-angle lens and tripod, but even a small point and shoot camera is likely to have a better lens than an iPhone.

3) Take your shots!

Your main consideration is the time of day. First thing in the morning is usually best for outside shots due to friendly lighting and fewer people around, while most rooms look at their best while in direct sunlight. Night time is generally a no-no as it will create reflections off windows and a gloomier look.

When you take your photos, shoot from the corner of the room in “landscape” (ie the camera’s long edge horizontal). If the lighting still isn’t quite right, experiment with each room’s lights on/off and using flash, and make sure to take plenty of shots so you can pick the best ones!